DIAMOND: LARGE AND FAMOUS STONES 253 



stone, and almost at the same time. It weighed, in the rough, 119J carats, and was 

 therefore smaller than the " Star of the South,'" and its appearance suggested that it might 

 be a fragment of a larger crystal. It was transformed into an egg-shaped brilliant 

 (Plate X., Figs, lb, 7c) of 76J carats, the process of cutting not involving in this case a 

 very large loss of material. 



It has already been mentioned that the supposed large diamond, the "Braganza," 

 came from Brazil. Some other large Brazilian diamonds have been mentioned above under 

 the description of Brazilian deposits, one of these being the large stone found at the 

 beginning of the nineteenth century on the Rio Abaete, in Minas Geraes, as to the history 

 of which nothing is known. 



Only a few of the large diamonds which have been found in South Africa are 

 distinguished by special names. Some of these were discovered and named before the 

 comparative abundance of large stones in these deposits was i<nown ; others, however, so far 

 surpass other large diamonds in size and beauty that it is only fitting that they should 

 receive distinctive names. Some of these diamonds have already been mentioned under the 

 description of the South African deposits. 



The first large diamond found in this country was discovered in 1869 in the river 

 diggings, and is known as the Star of South Africa. It weighed, in the rough, 

 83| carats, and formed, when cut, an oval, three-sided brilliant (Plate XI., Fig. 14) of 

 46^ carats of the purest water, comparable with the best Indian and Brazilian stones. It 

 ^1 as sold to the Countess of Dudley for nearly ,^£'25,000, and is therefore sometimes referred 

 to as the " Dudley " diamond. 



The Stewart, a much larger stone, was found in 1872 in the river diggings, known as 

 Waldeck''s Plant, on the Vaal. It weighed, in the rough, 288f carats, and for many years 

 remained the largest of Cape diamonds. The rough stone was first disposed of for ,:£'6000, 

 but on again changing hands made ^£"9000 ; it gave a slightly yellowish brilliant of 

 120 carats (Plate X., Fig. 6). 



The Porter Rhodes diamond was found at Kimberley on P'ebruary 12, 1880. Its 

 weight in the rough has been variously given at 150 and 160 carats. It is a perfectly 

 colourless blue-white stone, and, on the whole, may be considered to surpass all other 

 South African diamonds in beauty. It was valued by its owner at ^""200,000. 



Fig. 49. " Victoria" diamond of 457J carats from Fig. 50. Outline of a diamond of 428^ carats from 



South Africa. (Actual size.) South Africa. (Actual size.) 



A stone of 457| carats, from the South African deposits, reached Europe in 1884, of 

 which nothing as to its exact origin is known. The rough stone, which had the form of 



